John Sutherland

Cedric Thomas Watts

Karl-Heinz Engel

Lord Northcliffe Professor of Modern English Literature John Sutherland

John M. Sutherland

Emeritus Professor of English Cedric Watts, M a PH D

'Shakespeare loves loose ends; Shakespeare also loves red herrings.' Stephen Orgel Loose ends and red herrings are the stuff of detective fiction, and under the scrutiny of master sleuths John Sutherland and Cedric Watts Shakespeare's plays reveal themselves to be as full of mysteries as any Agatha Christie novel. Is it summer or winter in Elsinore? Do Bottom and Titania makelove? Does Lady Macbeth faint, or is she just pretending? How does a man putrefy within minutes of his death? Is Cleopatra a deadbeat Mum? And why doesn't Juliet ask 'O Romeo Montague, wherefore art thou Montague?' As Watts and Sutherland explore these and other puzzles Shakespeare's genuius becomes ever more apparent. Speculative, critical, good-humoured and provocative, their discussions shed light on apparent anachronisms, perfromance and stagecraft, linguistics, Star Trek and much else. Shrewd andentertaining, these essays add a new dimension to the pleasure of reading or watching Shakespeare. 'Few modern academics are doing quite so much as Professor Sutherland to connect the "common reader" with great books' Independent

And Other Shakespeare Puzzles

Henry V, War Criminal?

Joseph Conrad

The finest of all Conrad's tales, 'Heart of Darkness' is set in an atmosphere of mystery and menace, and tells of Marlow's perilous journey up the Congo River to relieve his employer's agent, the renowned and formidable Mr Kurtz. What he sees on his journey, and his eventual encounter with Kurtz, horrify and perplex him, and call into question the very bases of civilization and human nature. Endlessly reinterpreted by critics and adapted for film, radio, and television, the story shows Conrad at his most intense and sophisticated. The other three tales in this volume depict corruption and obsession, and question racial assumptions. Set in the exotic surroundings of Africa, Malaysia, and the east, they variously appraise the glamour, folly, and rapacity of imperial adventure. This revised edition uses the British first edition texts and has a new chronology and bibliography. Book jacket.

Heart of Darkness and Other Tales

An Introduction to Covert Plots

The Deceptive Text

This critical essay explores the implications, themes, characterization, literary techniques and autobiographical features of Thomas Hardy's novel "Jude the Obscure".

Thomas Hardy, Jude the Obscure

Hamlet

Describes the indecision which leads to Hamlet's ruin, suggests a fresh interpretation, and discusses Shakespeare's themes and techniques

Cedric Watts

Still one of Shakespeare's best loved and most performed plays, Romeo and Juliet has become the definitive love story of Western literature. Its lyrical depiction of an ill-fated romance has stirred audiences and inspired more adaptations and imitations than any other Shakespearean work. Widely considered the epitome of articulate romanticism, Romeo and Juliet also contains a subtext of sexual politics and generational conflict that echoes in relevance to the present day. In this study Cedric Watts uses both traditional and contemporary critical approaches to reveal the complexity underlying Shakespeare's romantic tragedy. Examining the scholarly problems raised by the play, Watts pays particular attention to its structure and ironic interplay of characterization. The author provides a detailed account of the sexual politics at work in the drama, examining the views it offers on arranged marriage, romantic love, and the treatment of women in society. Demonstrating the contrast of lyricism and bawdry in the play, Watts argues that Romeo and Juliet is a much more radical work than has previously been regarded. Watt's cogent analysis reveals the many contrasting elements of Romeo and Juliet--its high comedy and bitter tragedy, sociable festivity and private raptures violent hatred and pacific understanding, impetuous youth and stubborn age, realistically expressive language and witty linguistic display. By examining the play's attempt to bridge these disparate aspects, this unique reading breathes new life into a work whose familiarity often causes modern audiences and readers to lose sight of its position as one of Shakespeare's masterpieces.

Romeo and Juliet

William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure

This book offers a detailed discussion of Conrad's most brilliant and problematic work. Many significant aspects of Heart of Darkness are examined, from plot and characterisation to imagery and symbolism, and particular attention is paid to its ambiguity and paradoxes. By relating the text to a variety of contexts, Cedric Watts explores Conrad's central preoccupations as a writer and as a commentator on his age. The first edition of this study appeared in 1977, and reviewers described it as 'criticism of the highest order' (Joseph Conrad Today) and 'an important book' (Conradiana).

Cedric Thomas Watts

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